Friday, January 25, 2008

Chrysanthe Staikopoulou / Claudia Cherubini

What goes with a steel grater bracelet? Why, a nutmeg ring, of course. (I'm hoping it comes in parmesan, too.) Set by UK artist Chrysanthe Staikopoulou, a recent RCA metalsmithing grad who also has a background in architecture and who counts "the domestic environment" among her influences.

Bonus link: if you need to restock, Italian jeweller Claudia Cherubini also has nutmeg rings. And vanilla. And cinnamon. And... you get the picture.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Quoc Lieu / Amanda Keidan

Brooklyn designer Quoc Lieu calls this his "3D Diamonds" collection, though I like to think of them as diamond skeletons. The rings are US$210 for gold fill or US$170 for sterling silver and come with a sterling chain so you can wear them as pendants, too! What a great touch.

Bonus link: New York's Amanda Keidan has more diamond-shaped rings in gold and silver; prices range from US$90 to $425, with 30% of proceeds going to the International Medical Corps.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Kerstin Henke / Heike Wanner

This is probably the only case in which I'd advise attacking your jewellery with sharp blades. The cut-out ring by German artist Kerstin Henke features layers of plastic on silver with a cubic zirconium accent.

And here are some more folded layers  silver and gold-plated silver "loop" rings by Austria's Heike Wanner:

Saturday, January 19, 2008

22designstudio

Weekend quickie: another site update I'd been waiting on is 22designstudio, who make chunky concrete rings in interesting shapes. The designers hail from Taiwan (which is not, as certain people seem to think, where Thai food comes from).

Friday, January 18, 2008

Claudia Correa / William Prophet

Friday fancy from Chile's Claudia Correa. I especially love that blue ring, which looks like a plastic blade slicing through metal (instead of the other way around). Fun idea, but remind me not to engage her in a round of rock-paper-scissors. Lots more on her site, including these great-looking pieces:

Bonus link: get more acrylic and silver from UK jeweller William Prophet  no blades, but a large selection of spotted rings.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Jana Brevick / dialog05 / Kiley Granberg

I know the idea is to share these rings with another person but I'd be tempted to wear one on each hand and obsessively click the parts together all day. Rings on purple background by Seattle's Jana Brevick; USB rings by German design collective dialog05.

Bonus link: Calgary's Kiley Granberg also has a set of "screwed" wedding rings; these ones are gold-plated brass.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Monique Péan / Kristin Mitsu Shiga

I've been eagerly anticipating the launch of Monique Péan's new site, and it was definitely worth the wait! The New Yorker (by way of Washington, DC) is committed to environmental issues and her "Bering" collection is a foray into the relatively tiny realm of sustainable fine jewellery. Inspired by Alaskan culture, she collaborated with Native Alaskans to create pieces entirely from eco-friendly materials, including walrus and woolly mammoth ivory, 100% recycled gold and conflict-free diamonds. Pictured here are the Mayac stackable ivory rings (US$1,000) and the Holgate 4-carat rutile ring (US$2,500)  but my favourite might be the Mirage Olanna ivory bracelet (US$14,000). She donates 10% of the profits to the Alaska Native Arts Foundation. Be sure to visit her site and view the entire collection, which is truly stunning!

Bonus link: more ivory  this time, recycled piano keys from Portland, Oregon's Kristin Mitsu Shiga. Lots of interesting work in her portfolio!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Alina Tyro-Niezgoda / Sylwia Całus (Antidotum)

Antidotum is where Polish jeweller Alina Tyro-Niezgoda showcases her large and varied body of work. I had to go with her happy Lego rings (sorry about the watermarks) but there's tons more to see on her site!

Antidotum also hosts some other artists, like Sylwia Całus, whose acrylic rings are below:

Bonus link: just like the Lego rings, Laura Beamer's bottle cap rings (US$56) bring me back to my childhood. The Oregon designer also works with vinyl records.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Hilde Foks / Susanne Sous

Do you see the baseball influence? Before her career in jewellery, Amsterdam's Hilde Foks was a pitcher on the Dutch national baseball team. Now, inspired by the corkscrew movement of her pitches, she weaves steel, nylon and wool into pliable, springy, spiral-themed pieces. How playful.

Bonus link: no baseball (or regular) diamonds here, but Germany's Susanne Sous does pay tribute to tennis and soccer with these rings.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Maud Traon / Mari Isopahkala

Chaos? Meet structure. Maud Traon, a French RCA grad now based in London, raises the organized mess to an art form. Her rings are sculptural piles of copper, silver, fimo clay, wax, beads, synthetic stones, plastic toys, varnish and found objects. (Sorry, I checked, but your keys weren't in there.)

Also, just because yesterday's fur ring looks a little lonely, here are some more  this time, from Finnish designer Mari Isopahkala, using reindeer fur. I guess Donner and Blitzen finally had some time for a haircut.

Bonus link: if this were the comics, this ring would be Maud Traon's kryptonite. UK jeweller Sarah Jordan's "Karma" ring couldn't be cleaner.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Dalia Gefen / Emily Dempsey

I love the understated originality, if that makes sense, of these rings by Israel's Dalia Gefen. They're not ordinary, but they're also not jumping up and down, waving their arms and screaming, "LOOK AT ME, I'M DIFFERENT!" If that makes sense, too. (I know, that last sentence makes no sense.) Lots more to see on her site!

Monday, January 07, 2008

Lima 7192 / Badass Jewellery

Happy 2008! I've awakened from my winter snooze; the shop and the blog are both back in business! What better way to kick off the year than with a new favourite of mine: clear boro glass rings by Japanese designer Banri Miyashita, who designs as the label Lima 7192.

These and other pieces are available for ¥8,925-10,500 (roughly US$80-100) at Japanese webshop Kök (Swedish for "kitchen").

Bonus link: "toast" the new year with this deco toaster ring, CAD$495, from Toronto's Badass Jewellery. Designer Calvin Dana Munroe is one of the Devil's Workshop artists I mentioned in November.

About Me

Hi! Visit the shop at thecarrotbox.com and get the full version of the blog at thecarrotbox.com/news! I stopped putting a full copy of the blog here because I think Google thought I was some copycat weirdo.